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Global Forces, Rural Radicalism, and the Dual Transformation of Urban and Rural Protest in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2023

Zachariah Cherian Mampilly Open the ORCID record for Zachariah Cherian Mampilly [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

Studies of protest in contemporary Africa often fail to address three related dynamics. First, rural radicalism has long been more central to African political struggles, even urban ones, than is commonly recognized. Second, the ongoing transformation of rural political economies links them to those of urban areas and has changed struggles over land and resources. Finally, these changes have reduced the power of traditional authorities and increased the appeal of nonviolent protest, as well as shifting protest toward a more national mode in which rural populations are increasingly central. Mampilly elaborates on these propositions, which are derived from brief examinations of both historical and contemporary examples of rural protest across Africa, before applying them to a deep analysis of LUCHA, a social movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Resumo

Resumo

Os estudos sobre os movimentos de protesto na África contemporânea são frequentemente omissos no que toca a três dinâmicas inter-relacionadas. Em primeiro lugar, o radicalismo rural é, desde há longo tempo, mais importante para as lutas políticas africanas, mesmo para as urbanas, do que tem sido habitualmente reconhecido. Em segundo lugar, a transformação em curso das economias políticas rurais colca-as em ligação com as dos espaços urbanos, e deu um novo rumo às lutas em torno da terra e dos recursos. Por fim, estas mudanças diminuíram o poder das autoridades tradicionais e aumentaram a adesão às formas não violentas de protesto, além de terem conduzido os protestos para formas eminentemente nacionais, em que as populações rurais assumem um papel cada vez mais importante. Mampilly desenvolve o presente artigo com base nestes pressupostos, os quais resultam de breves análises de casos históricos e contemporâneos de protestos rurais em toda a África. Em seguida, aplica-os a uma análise mais profunda do LUCHA, um movimento social na República Democrática do Congo.

Keywords

protestRural RadicalismLUCHACongoTanzaniaSudan
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 67 , Issue 1 , March 2024 , pp. 16 - 37
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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